Hikes in Louches

The Great Route Path  GR 128 runs from Wissant to Aachen. The route in France is highly recommended due to the tranquility, natural beauty, and authentic villages that sometimes resemble old Flemish ones. I have adjusted the route in France slightly to keep the stages approximately between 12 and 15 kilometers and also to consider available parking spots. We stay for a midweek each time and look for accommodation somewhere in the middle of the stages we plan to undertake. We park the car at the end point of the walk. Then we bike to the starting point. We pick up the bikes by car and then drive back to our accommodation, or make a visit somewhere along the way by car. The route in French Flanders is approximately 150 kilometers. We completed it in 3 midweek stays. The stages are divided as follows:   STAGE 1:        WISSANT – PEUPLINGUES 1                          15 Km walking and 8 Kilometers cycling STAGE 2 :       PEUPLINGUES – HAMES BOUCRES                                       12 Km walking and 6 Km cycling STAGE 3 :       HAMES BOUCRES – BOUQUEHAULT                                    12 KM walking and 15 Km cycling STAGE 4:        LE VENTUS d’ ALEMBON – AUDENFORT                               10 Km walking and 11 Km cycling STAGE 5 :       AUDENFORT – TOURNEHEM SUR HEM                           13 Km walking and 9 Km cycling STAGE 6:        TOURNEHEM SUR HEM – FôRET d‘ EPERLECQUES                           12 Km walking and 8 Kilometers cycling STAGE 7:        Fôret d’ Eperlecques – WULVERDINGHE                           12 Km walking and 12 Km cycling STAGE 8:        WULVERDINGHE – NIEURLET                          10 Km walking and 8 Km cycling STAGE 9:        NIEURLET – BUYSSCHEURE                           12 Km walking and 5 Kilometers cycling STAGE 10:     NOORDPEENE – CASSEL                          12 Km walking and 10 Km cycling STAGE 11:     CASSEL – GODEWAERTSVELDE                           16 Km walking and 15 Km cycling STAGE 12:     GODEWAERSVELDE – BANENBERG (Belgium)                          12 Km walking and 11 Km cycling STAGE 13:     BANENBERG – KEMMEL Via walking junctions and GR 5A to the Kemmelberg where the GR 128 starts in Belgium. ALL STAGES CAN BE CONSULTED SEPARATELY ON THE MAP Recommended off path: The beaches on the Opal Coast Channel Tunnel Expo Visit to Saint Omer Visit to Cassel

GR128-2- Guînes --->Tournehem 2nd stage of the Flanders path GR128August 3, 2020 at 07:33 34km

We continue to follow the valley of the Hem. We start with a steep climb from 50 to 170 meters in height, not spectacular but still quite intense to start with. Then we descend towards the railway line. We more or less follow the railway through fields. When we turn right away from the railway, we walk along an unpaved road, slowly climbing to eventually follow a short footpath to the former chapel of Saint Louis. From here you get a wide view over the valley and the descending hill ridges. The journey then continues via a grassy path to later switch to a forest path that leads you further to Tournehem. The town itself is quite historical to say the least, nothing remains of the castle, but there are still parts of defensive walls and a gate. The town experienced the worst siege in 1595 when the French king Henry IV incorporated the then Spanish territory here. From that period date the numerous underground tunnels that emerged, among other places, at the chapel of Saint Louis. These tunnels are no longer accessible to the public. The chapel of Saint Louis was built around 1480 on the foundations of an older place of worship located on Mont Saint Louis, a plateau overlooking the area. It was built on the orders of Antoine of Burgundy, an illegitimate child of our Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, who regularly stayed in Bruges. Antoine “Le grand bâtard de Bourgogne,” besides his properties here around Tournehem, was also Lord of Beveren. He was certainly not an unimportant cast-aside child, as he was a member of the “Golden Fleece” and was a celebrated archer in the Guild of Saint Sebastian in Bruges. He was mainly a man who fiercely helped defend his father's Burgundian empire. Local uprisings, French influence, there was plenty to do in the 1400s.When he went on campaign in Lorraine with his half-brother Charles the Bold, he was captured by the French. Charles died near Nancy, but Antoine converted to the French and became a renowned advisor to the French king Louis XI. He spent his last years in Tournehem where he was buried at the blessed age of 83 years. More info on this (French-language) website: https://www.cote-dopale.com/villes/tournehem-sur-la-hem

Set out to discover the St Louis chapel built on the limestone lawn of Mont St Louis..protected area.At its summit, you can contemplate the Hem valley and the Flemish maritime plain with, in good weather, an unobstructed view from Cap Blanc Nez to Belgium.

Autingues Le lac d'Ardres et canal

Départ depuis la la place d'Autingues

62890 - Tournehem-sur-la-Hem Type: Rando facile de 2h30mn - 9.09Km

Au départ de Landrethun..Passer sous la voie de l'Eurostar...Petites routes et chemins...Retour à Landrethun.